It seems that because he just washed his hair, there was a fragrance emanating from his body, clean and faint. It seemed that his clothes and hair both carried this scent, unsure if it was shampoo.

Her heart raced, and suddenly she remembered that night.

When he kissed her, it seemed particularly evident.

Unlike the time when Qiuli carried her, Lu Nian wasn’t worried that Qin Si would be tired.

However, there seemed to be another layer of concern.

She felt uncomfortable and, after a quiet “thank you,” didn’t dare to move.

After that unexpected kiss that night, they tacitly understood not to mention it again, as if it had never happened.

They boarded the bus smoothly and then the plane to Fēnghé.

Their seats were next to each other. Lu Nian slept deeply, her blanket slipping down and leaning toward him unconsciously.

Her rosy cheeks and red lips.

He lowered his gaze.

The taste of that night, and the kiss they stole, were indeed different.

Even if it was just her acting out of spite.

He covered her with the blanket and hesitated for a long time.

She leaned towards him, causing the blanket to slide down again, revealing her delicate collarbones and fair skin.

She was really asleep.

Using the blanket as cover, he turned towards her, their cheeks very close.

Seemingly by accident, he lightly brushed past her lips.

He felt that intoxicating fragrance.

His heart raced, adrenaline surged, and his ears probably turned red again.

Every time he got close to her, he hated these uncontrollable physical reactions but found them difficult to control.

Despicable antics.

Like drinking poison to quench thirst.

Once they arrived in Fēnghé, transportation became much more convenient.

Qin Si hailed a car, and they headed to Ancheng’s airport.

Because she hadn’t slept well the previous night and had been traveling by car and plane all day, Lu Nian eventually became so sleepy that she couldn’t even keep her eyes open.

Qin Si silently helped her arrange her ticket, took care of all the transportation along the way, and even bought their meals and drinks.

With her eyes closed, Lu Nian mumbled, “Qin Si.”

Feeling him still beside her, she felt relieved and continued sleeping, eating whatever was given to her and then sleeping again.

Even though she was acting spoiled, he endured it all and didn’t embarrass her.

When Qin Si went to get the tickets, Lu Nian finally woke up a bit. She was sitting in a café chair, wrapped in a blanket, and saw food and a cup of coffee on the table.

“Your boyfriend went to get your tickets,” a nearby girl said enviously. “He bought everything too.”

Lu Nian checked her phone and saw Qin Si’s message, very brief: “Reply within twenty minutes, and don’t walk around when you wake up.”

She replied with a “Mm! QvQ”.

“Your boyfriend is so good,” the girl said. “He’s so handsome and takes care of people.”

Originally, it was because he was handsome that she noticed him in the crowd and even wanted to ask for his contact information.

She didn’t expect him to have a girlfriend already, and one who was so pampered.

Now, he was so handsome and so devoted to his girlfriend. It was really rare. Originally, she thought he was a cold and aloof guy, but he clearly had his mind focused entirely on his girlfriend, indifferent to others.

Lu Nian glanced around sneakily, but Qin Si wasn’t nearby.

So, she didn’t refute it and accepted somewhat guiltily, “Yes, he’s very good.”

It’s just a pity.

The only downside was that he wasn’t her boyfriend.

She thought gloomily.

As soon as they arrived in Ancheng, Lu Nian almost stumbled due to the scorching heatwave.

Lu Yang had already received the call and drove to the airport to pick up Lu Nian.

Qin Si came out with her.

“What’s going on?” Lu Yang frowned.

“I was on a social practice in Fēnghé,” Qin Si said casually. “Coincidentally, she hurt her leg and wanted to come back.”

Lu Yang also knew about this matter.

He asked, “Where’s Zhao Yayuan? Why didn’t he accompany Nian Nian back?”

Lu Nian was especially afraid of the situation in Nanqiao being exposed now and quickly said, “I asked him not to come back. After all, it was my leg that got injured, and he was fine. It’s just right for someone to accompany me back.”

Lu Yang seemed somewhat dissatisfied with this explanation.

If it were up to Zhao Yayuan, he would definitely have brought her back, escorting her all the way home.

He felt that Zhao Yayuan was not reliable.

“In the afternoon, I’ll take you to our family hospital to have a look,” Lu Yang said. “In a few days, Uncle Zhao and the others will come to our house, so you need to prepare well in advance.”

“What about Dad?”

“Uncle is currently abroad, negotiating contracts,” Lu Yang said. “He’ll be back in a few days, just in time to help you with your university application.”

Yeah… it seemed like the college entrance exam results would be out soon.

Thinking about this, Lu Nian’s heart sank.

She had thought a lot about Qiuli’s matter. In fact, the core issue still lay with Lu Zhihong.

The employees like Miao Miao who came later had no idea about the past.

As for old folks like Xu Ruhai and Zhang Qiuping, their lips were sealed tight. If Lu Zhihong didn’t allow them to speak, they wouldn’t leak a word.

Patience, Lu Nian told herself, she needed to take it slow.

“Alright, let’s go,” Lu Yang naturally didn’t know about her thoughts.

Qin Si was already turning to leave.

Lu Nian, as if waking from a dream, hurriedly caught up, “Thank you for your company all the way.”

He paused, expressionless. “It’s on the way, there’s nothing to thank for.”

Lu Nian sneakily glanced at Lu Yang. Seeing that he wasn’t paying attention, she whispered, “Then I should also apologize. That night, it was mainly my fault. Don’t take it to heart, although you also…”

“…,”

The barely maintained composure shattered with her few words.

He couldn’t bear to listen any longer, turning around and walking away quickly, his back carrying a hint of disarray.

Lu Nian, “…”

Was he angry again? Was he really not going to forgive her?

But she was just recounting the original scene, without exaggeration.

Lu Nian felt very worried.

These days at home, Lu Nian visited Cheng Mingying’s room again.

But found no clues.

Searching for “Nanqiao” online, the information was mostly impressions posted by travelers who went to Nanqiao, nothing special could be found.

The key was, she didn’t have any direction at all, not knowing where to start looking.

And… she pondered, was Qiuli really willing to let her dig into this matter so deeply?

On Qin Si’s side… there was also no news.

Lu Nian didn’t know if he was really angry, or how long he would stay in Ancheng this summer.

Days passed by.

Lu Nian received a text message from Ming Ge.

[Ming Ge]: Is Nian Nian back? Ming Ge owes you a meal, when are you coming over?

Lu Nian quickly replied: I’m available these days!

Her leg was much better now. Although the external injuries were severe at one point, they healed quickly with the careful treatment from the Lu family doctor.

Miao Miao had been taking care of her meticulously these days.

Lu Nian felt like she was rusting staying at home.

Ming Ge, “Alright, hurry up then, we’re preparing for you in advance.”

With Lu Zhihong not around these days, and she had just finished her college entrance exams, her days were carefree.

Besides drawing some drafts, there was basically nothing else to do.

Perhaps she slept too much during the day, so at night, she often couldn’t sleep. And when she couldn’t sleep, she often thought of that kiss.

Just thinking about it made her blush.

…She didn’t expect him to be like that.

She had never kissed any other boy before, but she didn’t know if Qin Si had kissed other girls.

She ruminated, always feeling like he knew more than her.

…She thought of the woman in the bar again, pulled up the blanket, and saw the empty message box between them.

She couldn’t help but curse him in her heart.

“Stinky Qin Si, shameless.”

Although she said to forget it, can she really pretend like nothing happened?

She felt embarrassed to text Qin Si, and he never initiated contact either.

So they lost contact like this.

Lu Nian thought, when she went to Ming Ge’s place for dinner, she didn’t know if Qin Si would be there.

He was in Ancheng, and apart from being at his own place, he basically only went to Ming Ge’s place, right?

Thinking like this, she had a little anticipation in her heart and deliberately tidied herself up.

She chose a knee-length chiffon skirt. Because she was fair and slender, she effortlessly handled this light blue chiffon.

The dress accentuated her waist, but the scar on her leg hadn’t healed yet, looking ugly.

She had no choice but to wear a pair of mid-socks to reluctantly cover the scar.

That day, she went to Ming Ge’s shop.

“Niannian!” Xiao Qu and Huang Mao both came forward to greet her.

“Eating in the next room,” Huang Mao rubbed his hands, “We did well in business last year, made money, so we’re treating Niannian to some good food.”

Ming Ge praised her, “You’re getting more and more beautiful. I wonder which lucky guy will get you cheap in the future.”

Lu Nian pursed her lips and smiled.

The place they chose to treat her this time was indeed upscale, a Western restaurant, with a quiet environment in the private room.

Huang Mao handed her the menu proudly, “Isn’t this place nice? I’ve always said Niannian usually eats high-end, so we should find a place like this to treat her.”

“It’s okay,” Lu Nian smiled, pursing her lips.

Unable to help herself, she asked seemingly casually, “Just us?”

“That brat went to a friend’s place, said it was for work,” Ming Ge said. “He stays in the house all day, who knows what work he’s doing.”

Lu Nian, “…”

She wanted to ask if that friend was male or female, but she felt embarrassed to ask.

“He won’t be here for long, he’ll be back to the capital soon,” Xiao Qu said.

Huang Mao asked, “Niannian, are your exam results coming out soon?”

“Yeah, where are you planning to apply? If you’re also going to A University, let that brat take care of you.”

Lu smiled, “I can’t go.”

She didn’t want to talk about this topic anymore.

Huang Mao said, “Going to college is great. Back then, I missed it by a few hundred points and didn’t get in. Otherwise, I would have at least had a girlfriend in college. It wouldn’t be so bleak now.”

Ming Ge said, “Colleges don’t come with girlfriends.”

Xiao Qu said, “Qin Ge probably doesn’t have a girlfriend either.”

Lu Nian paused with her fork and knife, then continued eating.

Ming Ge said, “With his bad temper, if he doesn’t change, he won’t find a girlfriend for the rest of his life.”

Huang Mao said without thinking, “How is that possible? Qin Ge is clearly so popular with girls. Just look at who he was with last time, and…”

He was good in every aspect, and his appearance was impeccable, it’s just that his personality was a bit bad.

But many people just happened to like his cold attitude, feeling particularly accomplished when they conquered such a man.

“Cough.” Xiao Qu suddenly coughed loudly, coughing like the end of the world. “Cough cough cough…”

Lu Nian quickly handed him water and tissue, “Are you okay?”

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Xiao Qu smiled.

Ming Ge smiled at Huang Mao, Huang Mao shrank back a bit, and changed his tune, “He really can’t find one. With such a bad temper, besides Niannian, who else can stand him?”

“Niannian, look, no one else wants him. Why don’t you…”

Lu Nian didn’t understand.

Before he finished speaking, the door was pushed open.

Huang Mao immediately shut up, his mouth seemed to have a muffler installed.

“Weren’t you not coming?” Ming Ge poured himself a drink, “Why are you here again? We didn’t order for you, so you can sit there and eat air.”

Lu Nian turned her head and saw him. She turned her head back, continuing to maintain her indifferent expression.

He had just finished work and came straight here.

Unexpectedly, there was traffic on the way.

Xiao Qu hurriedly called someone to add a set of tableware. “I thought you wouldn’t come…”

Qin Si sat opposite her, Lu Nian lowered her head and ate her food quietly, as if she didn’t see him.

She actually knew she was being unreasonable, but she felt aggrieved.

Why did he disappear like that when she didn’t contact him? Clearly, they only had so much time together, and after going back to school, he would be leaving again.

Ming Ge noticed something was off.

What’s he sulking about again? But this sulkiness seemed different from before.

Lu Nian heard his voice, “Is your leg better now, can you walk around like this?”

Lu Nian, “… It’s all better.”

Her tone was clearly perfunctory.

The three of them held their breath.

He pursed his lips and stood up.

“What are you doing?” He pulled her, walking out of the private room and opening the door next to it.

After closing the door, he turned on the light, leaving only the two of them in the room.

“What are you mad about?” He asked.

Lu Nian widened her eyes, “Are you the one sulking?”

They hadn’t contacted each other for so long, he was clearly in Ancheng, but there wasn’t even a single word from him, disappearing without a trace.

“The leg.” He seemed unwilling to discuss this topic with her, “Is it better?”

Sitting on a chair, Lu Nian felt more and more aggrieved as she thought about it, “It’s not like you got injured, whether it’s good or not doesn’t matter, it has nothing to do with you.”

Nothing to do with him? Then who does it have to do with?

Zhao Yayuan, or that person she didn’t know who hugged her that day?

His complexion was very bad.

But she kept on, “In the future, just don’t bother with me, and I won’t bother with you, let’s each go our own way…”

Lu Nian’s calf suddenly felt cold, “You…”

He had already partially removed her mid-socks, the socks piled up at her ankles, revealing the wound.

The clearly defined fingers of the boy, with a faint coolness, she couldn’t say anything, feeling her calf touched by him all tingling.

He squatted in front of her, carefully inspecting the wound, his eyelashes drooping, appearing long and dense, his features surprisingly well-defined, his lips slightly pursed.

Looking at him, he looked very kissable… and indeed very kissable.

Lu Nian thought she might be going crazy, actually thinking like this.

“Don’t wear them.” He said briefly, “Covering the wound slows down the recovery.”

“But, it’s ugly.” Lu Nian sniffled, her voice already recovered, soft, “It doesn’t look good.”

She wanted to dress up nicely to see him.

He wanted to say he didn’t care.

But on second thought, he felt ridiculous again. Why did he feel like she was trying to show it to him?

“Women dress to please themselves,” This was an especially obvious truth, he didn’t know who that person was, and didn’t want to think about it again.

Both of them fell silent for a while.

Until Lu Nian whispered, “Is it… not appropriate?”

“You’re a guy, I’m a girl, and you’re not a doctor either.” Lu Nian rested her chin on her hand, her eyes filled with meaning. “From the way you moved, it seems like you’re quite used to it.”

Has he undressed many girls’ socks like this?

She felt unhappy inside, but her mind was clear, asking calmly and logically.

Qin Si, “…”

His fingers suddenly stiffened, realizing what he was doing, heat rising behind his ears, and quickly withdrew his fingers.

Lu Nian felt a bit refreshed, feeling that she seemed to be winning against him more often recently.

“Why is it just us today?” Lu Nian asked again. “What about that girl from Ming Ge’s bar, Miss Bai Xi? Why didn’t she come? I thought you would invite her.”

This question was utterly bewildering.

The boy pursed his lips and didn’t answer.

He didn’t know what relationship Bai Xi had with him.

Lu Nian, “Isn’t she your friend?”

He replied stiffly, “Not close.”

If they weren’t close, then why…? No wonder, if he wasn’t close to her, he could still kiss her.

“I had someone clean your house.” Lu Nian said. “If you have a girlfriend who wants to stay over, and it’s inconvenient, I’ll give you the key.”

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” he lowered his eyes, “and no one comes to my house.”

“Except for you.” He straightened up, a shadow falling over him, his expression unclear.

He always spoke carefully, although he knew that this statement was just a supplement, a common fact known to everyone, and had no other meaning.

He was not the kind of person to say such things.

Lu Nian blushed.

Except for you.

Only you.

And this sentence was spoken by Qin Si, making her heart beat so fast.

…

“The food is getting cold, hurry up.” Ming Ge didn’t ask what they were doing, just called them.

“Are you coming tomorrow?” Huang Mao said. “The three of us, each treating you to a meal.”

“I can’t tomorrow.” Lu Nian shook her head.

“My dad is coming back tomorrow.” Lu Nian said. “We have guests at home tomorrow, so I can’t not go.”

“What kind of important guests?” Huang Mao asked.

“Uncle and Aunt from Haicheng.” Lu Nian said. “They have a very good relationship with my dad, and they’re also the parents of one of my classmates.”

The Zhao family.

Qin Si’s expression was indifferent, his narrow phoenix eyes showing no emotion, his pupils were very deep, completely different from Zhao Yayuan’s amber eyes, most of the time, he seemed cold.

Ming Ge was clueless, “Okay, then let’s change it to the day after tomorrow.”

Lu Nian nodded, “Okay.”

He silently finished his drink, Ming Ge said, “You should eat first, why drink?”

“It’s fine.” He lowered his eyes, his clearly defined fingers playing with the empty glass, his expression indifferent.